Three Things to Know
Researchers investigated how brief outings and temporary fostering programs can improve adoption chances for shelter dogs by analyzing data from nearly 2,000 dogs and over 2,000 caregivers involved in 60 programs across the United States.
The study found that dogs in temporary foster care were 14 times more likely to be adopted compared to those who weren’t. While less impactful, brief outings still increased adoption chances fivefold. Additionally, 12% of dogs were adopted by their temporary foster caregivers.
Programs with higher community involvement performed better. Researchers suggest that brief outings and temporary fostering can serve as a starting point for potential caregivers, building their confidence and satisfaction before committing to longer-term care. By emphasizing shorter-term commitments, shelters can address emotional challenges and improve caregiver retention.
The Full Picture
Millions of dogs enter U.S. animal shelters each year, where they experience significant stress compared to a home environment. A dog’s well-being in a shelter can be measured in two ways:
- Proximal measures: These focus on the dog’s immediate condition, including physical health, behavior, and stress levels. For instance, shelter dogs often exhibit higher cortisol levels (a stress hormone) and disrupted sleep patterns.
- Distal measures: These consider long-term outcomes, such as adoption rates and length of stay in the shelter.
A prior study showed that positive human interactions, such as taking dogs on outings, can temporarily alleviate stress and improve their quality of life. However, these benefits often diminish once the dog returns to the shelter. On the other hand, strategies like fostering, behavioral training, and removing breed labels have shown promise in improving adoption and length of stay.
This study, “The Influence of Brief Outing and Temporary Fostering Programs on Shelter Dog Welfare”, aims to investigate whether short-term interventions, such as brief outings and temporary fostering, can positively impact a dog’s distal welfare by reducing their shelter stay and increasing their chances of adoption. The researchers hypothesized that these interventions will have a beneficial effect on these crucial outcomes.
Study Methods
U.S. animal shelters were recruited to participate in a study on brief outings and temporary fostering for dogs. Eligible shelters housed dogs primarily in facilities and had limited existing programs for brief outings and temporary fostering. Participating shelters received training from Maddie’s Fund and ongoing support to implement these programs.
Dogs eligible for the study were at least six months old and currently housed in the shelter. Data on their demographics and intervention details were collected. Foster caregivers provided brief outings or temporary foster stays for the dogs, and data on their demographics and experience was also collected. Non-intervention dogs served as a control group to assess the impact of the interventions. Participating shelters were ranked based on their program performance, which was used to analyze the overall efficacy of these interventions.
Study Results
Descriptive Statistics
Data from 51 U.S. animal shelters was collected between February 2019 and March 2020. These shelters varied widely in size, budget, and intake volume, but live release rates (LRRs) were generally high at 92%. Most were private nonprofits (45%) or nonprofits with municipal contracts (32%). About half having open-intake policies.
The dataset included 27,901 dogs, with 58% entering shelters as strays. The average age was 39.7 months, and the average weight was 18.4 kg. A significant portion (88%) of intervention dogs were available for adoption.
Intervention Programs
A total of 60 outing and foster programs were implemented across the shelters. The interventions included 2437 brief outings and 496 temporary fostering stays, involving 2250 caregivers and 1955 dogs. About a quarter of the dogs had two or more experiences. The average duration of a brief outing was 3 hours, while temporary fostering stays lasted an average of 1.6 days.
For brief outings, heavier dogs tended to have shorter outings, while shelter volunteers facilitated longer outings compared to community caregivers. In contrast, for temporary fostering stays, only one significant factor emerged: dogs that bit humans during fostering had significantly shorter stays. No other factors, such as caregiver characteristics or dog demographics, were found to significantly influence the duration of temporary fostering stays.
Caregiver Characteristics
The caregivers in this study were adults with an average age of 35, a demographic often less inclined towards pet ownership due to life stage and responsibilities. This aligns with the observation that many foster caregivers do not own pets, potentially drawn to fostering as a less permanent commitment.
The majority of caregivers for brief outings were community members (48%) and shelter volunteers (43%). In contrast, volunteers were more likely to participate in temporary fostering stays (45%) followed by community members (37%).
About half of temporary foster caregivers did not have resident dogs. This emphasizes the importance of removing barriers to community involvement. Brief outings, as a low-commitment option, can attract individuals who may be hesitant to engage in more intensive fostering. They can serve as an entry point for potential caregivers, building their confidence and satisfaction before committing to longer-term fostering. By emphasizing shorter-duration caregiving initially, shelters can address emotional challenges and improve caregiver retention.
Adoptions by caregivers occurred more frequently after fostering stays (12%) than brief outings (4%), suggesting that longer interactions foster a stronger bond between caregivers and dogs.
Outcomes
At the conclusion of the study, most intervention dogs experienced positive outcomes, with 65.2% adopted into homes, 8.2% transferred to other organizations. Less than 2% of dogs were euthanized.
The study found that both brief outings and temporary fostering significantly increased dogs’ chances of adoption than euthanasia. When compared to those without such interventions, temporary fostering led to a 14-fold increase in adoption likelihood, while brief outings resulted in a 5-fold increase. These interventions also reduced the likelihood of dogs being transferred to other facilities, facilitating direct placement within the shelter’s community.
While fostering stays were associated with higher adoption rates, they also increased the risk of euthanasia for dogs surrendered or returned by owners. This suggests that longer interactions might highlight behavioral issues that could lead to euthanasia. In contrast, brief outings seemed to have a more positive impact on these dogs, possibly due to the shorter duration of interaction.
Interestingly, dogs fostered in homes with multiple resident dogs were more likely to be adopted or transferred, indicating the potential benefits of socialization with other dogs.
Length of Stay
Dogs selected for brief outings and temporary fostering had significantly longer shelter stays prior to participation (32–34 days) compared to non-intervention dogs (10 days). Both interventions were particularly effective. Post-intervention, these dogs experienced significantly faster adoptions, with an average of just 10 additional days in the shelter. This is likely due to the insights gained about their behavior and temperament.
This suggests that future studies should match dogs based on factors like physical appearance and behavior to more precisely isolate the effects of the interventions.
Other Considerations
The study found that dog bites during interventions were infrequent, with a total of six bites in close to 3000 outings. Most incidents involved humans rather than other dogs. While bites can negatively impact caregiver experiences and shorten fostering stays, the overall benefits of fostering programs, such as increased adoption rates and reduced returns, outweigh these risks.
Overall Program Performance
The performance of intervention programs was evaluated based on three metrics: the number of intervention experiences, participating caregivers, and days of data collection. Shelters with a higher proportion of community caregivers and greater resource availability were associated with higher program performance.
In contrast, public municipal agencies tended to have lower performance compared to private nonprofit organizations with municipal contracts. This disparity may be due to limited resources and staffing. To improve program performance, municipal shelters may need additional support and resources.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that brief outings and temporary fostering significantly improve shelter dog outcomes, particularly increasing adoption rates. While temporary fostering had a more substantial impact on adoptions, both interventions were effective in reducing transfer rates and improving overall welfare.
Community involvement was a key factor in the success of these programs. Higher levels of community participation, particularly through brief outings, led to better outcomes. This highlights the importance of engaging the community and removing barriers to participation.
Shorter-duration interventions like brief outings offer a less demanding approach to fostering, potentially attracting more caregivers. However, the effectiveness of these programs relies on adequate resources and support from animal welfare organizations. By prioritizing these interventions and providing necessary resources, shelters can improve outcomes for shelter dogs and enhance community engagement.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Shelter Dogs > Optimizing Shelter Operations > Expanding Shelter Capacity
Year of Publication:
2023
External Link:
Gunter LM, Blade EM, Gilchrist RJ, Nixon BJ, Reed JL, Platzer JM, Wurpts IC, Feuerbacher EN, Wynne CDL. The Influence of Brief Outing and Temporary Fostering Programs on Shelter Dog Welfare. Animals. 2023; 13(22):3528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223528